I've just read the above article written by the National Party's
Whangarei MP Phil Heatley last week and can only say that the National
Party's policy on the provision of transport infrastructure continues to
completely ignore the strategic implications of the recent announcement from the International Energy Agency with regard to the
urgent need to reduce our dependence on and vulnerability to the price
of oil. National's policy on the the provision of transport infrastructure is completely predicated on the assumption that the
price of oil will stay at levels that are as affordable as they are at present -
when the IEA has just warned us that that is very unlikely and
that governments urgently need to reduce their dependence on and
vulnerability to fossil fuels ( including natural gas! ).The (Acting) Minister of Energy has also shown by her statement that ' new fields and unconventional sources will ensure that demand continues to be met'
that she is also unaware or does not recognise the implications of the latest announcements from the IEA.
Development of strategically appropriate responses that are consistant
the best advice on energy matters is a responsibility this government
must acknowledge and act upon.

Prioritising the provision of
alternative infrastructure that is less /or not at all dependant on
fossil fuels would be the most appropriate response to this advice.
Dropping the focus on inappropriate infrastuctural projects such as the
roads of 'National' significance which will only further entrench our
dependence on and vulnerability to fossil fuels would free up the
funding that needs to be spent on guaranteeing that our region has
resiliance.

Benefits for tourism ? As far as the Puhoi-Wellsford Expressway developing tourism goes, the
current approach seems to be to funnel
everything up to the Bay of Islands and on to Cape Reinga and back,-with
virtually no stops on the way. Extending the motorway from Puhoi will
only encourage and facilitate the bypassing of the lower Northland
region. The roading infrastructure along the beautiful eastern coastal
coastal strip between
Matakana and Mangawhai where I live is so bad that none of the
bus companies that would bring tourists into the area are willing to use
the route and while there is a lot of
potential for tourism , there is very little of any kind of development
between those
points.

Rail tourism that depend on the North Auckland Line remaining open.

John Johnston's ( U.K. based)
Gondwana Express venture is planning to bring luxury trains to Northland
( and to use all of NZs rail network )

Barry Reid's Cooltrainz design for a self-powered commuter train to run ( provisionally ) from Wellsford to Auckland .

With regard to any other kind of
development in Northland, the absence of passenger rail of any type but
especially for commuters is stifling the development of communities and
industries that might otherwise evolve along the rail corridor.
I lived in Japan for 10 years and am familiar,as are people in most
developed countries of the world, with being able to travel and to
commute by train. Many New Zealanders and new immigrants coming here
for the lifestyle that the warmer Northland climate provides would
choose to live further out of our economic centres if they could commute
by rail, which is seen as a much safer , less costly and less stressful
mode of transport than travelling by private motor car, virtually the
only currently practicable option. ( See Queensland Rail )